Grad school. Much material taken from or inspired by Matt Might and Dianne O'Leary; see last page for credits

Transcription

1 Much material taken from or inspired by Matt Might and Dianne O'Leary; see last page for credits Grad school. Hal Daumé III UMD CS, UMIACS,

2 Two flavors of graduate school Flavor I: Course-oriented M.S. only What you've been doing for 17 years May help you... Get a better job Progress further in some job Make more money Flavor 1I: Research-oriented Available as Ph.D. or M.S. Fundamentally different than UG

3 Imagine a circle that contains all human knowledge redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.

4 By the end of elementary school, you know a little redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.

5 By the end of high school, you know a bit more: redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.

6 With a bachelor's degree, you gain a specialty: redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.

7 A master's degree deepens that specialty: redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.

8 Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge: redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.

9 Once you're at the boundary, you focus: redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.

10 You push at the boundary for a few years: redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.

11 Until one day, the boundary gives way: redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.

12 And, that dent you've made is called a Ph.D.: redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D. Ph.D.

13 Of course, the world looks different to you now: redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.

14 redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D. So, don't forget the bigger picture:

15 redit: Matt Might's Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D. Keep Pushing!

16 Why is so great? You get to discover and do something no one has ever done before You get to contribute to human knowledge You get to never be able to explain to your family over Thanksgiving what you actually do

17 What does it take to get a Ph.D. It takes a mix of: Perseverance Tenacity Cogency...oh and some smarts (perennially overrated) It's not: Ability to take courses/pass exams $$$

18 Where to apply Anywhere you would consider going Easy answer is the US News top-k list Boooooring! (see next slide about personal statements) Skim proceedings of conferences in the area you most care about find out who does interesting work apply wherever they are

19 How to get in Demonstrate that you can do research. Have outstanding letters of recommendation From faculty who can say specific things about you Write a compelling statement That demonstrates your perseverance, tenacity and cogency (oh, and smarts...) And don't botch up the obvious things Like grades, GRE scores, TOEFL, etc...

20 How to get in Demonstrate that you can do research. Have outstanding letters of recommendation From faculty who can say specific things about you Write a compelling statement That demonstrates your perseverance, tenacity and cogency (oh, and smarts...) And don't botch up the obvious things Like grades, GRE scores, TOEFL, etc...

21 How to get in Demonstrate that you can do research. Warning Have outstanding letters of recommendation From faculty who can say specific things about you If you ask 10 faculty members what function they use to combine different That demonstrates parts of applications, your perseverance, you will get tenacity and cogency (oh, 10 and uncorrelated smarts...) functions Write a compelling statement And don't botch up the obvious things Like grades, GRE scores, TOEFL, etc...

22 One slide for non-seniors Silver bullet to a top-k university? A published paper at a reputable venue Shows you can do research Will likely make >=1 letter of rec very strong But you'll still need 2 more, so get to know your professorate (we're here for you!) Get involved in research now at the very least you can find out if it's right for you!

23 Some other notes... Apply for fellowships They give you freedom e.g., NSF grad fellowship: deadline Nov 27 Grad school is hard work......but the personal rewards are great Contact professors you want to work with But be brief, specific and intelligent (no form s) You may not hear back, but that's okay

24 Additional resources Dianne O'Leary made extensive notes: Matt Might has some excellent guides: matt.might.net/articles/how-to-apply-and-get-in-tograduate-school-in-science-mathematics-engineering-orcomputer-science matt.might.net/articles/how-to-recommendation-letter matt.might.net/articles/ways-to-fail-a-phd matt.might.net/articles/successful-phd-students These slides: hal3.name/ug2grad.pdf